After 30 years shooting heroin with her husband, Lilly found a higher power in Jesus and was sober for 17 years before relapsing with alcohol. Because she was in and out of jail for 10 years for stealing to support her addiction, much of the time Lilly’s four kids were left in the care of…
Read MoreLaunching a New Life – Saint John’s 2016 Graduation
Written by Rob Stewart This will be tough. Tough to put into words the powerful, life altering, joyous event I and hundreds of others had the pleasure to witness last week, the 2016 Employment Training Graduation of Saint John’s Program for Real Change. I have been emceeing events for 20 years, mostly in the past…
Read MoreExperiencing Gratitude with Jessica L.
Born to a family of addicts, Jessica began to drink heavily after her brother passed away from an overdose. Shortly thereafter, two cousins were shot and killed in separate incidents, all leading to an addiction to meth, add the loss of her job and her home, and an abusive relationship. She began to sell meth…
Read MoreGrantee Develops Big Data for Big Change
Originally posted at www.wheatridge.org In March 2016, Amy was at the lowest point of her life. Recently released from Sierra Vista Mental Health center after attempting suicide, she knew she needed something different to break her 15-year cycle of addiction. “I just couldn’t go to another recovery home,” she remembers. “I thought: this is it…
Read MoreWhy is Real Change So Difficult?
written by David Flanagan Many people celebrate the new year by writing down a list of new goals and resolutions for change — I’m going to lose ten pounds. I’m going to be a better parent. I’m going to wake up earlier and go running. And more often than not, even the most well-meaning advocate…
Read MoreDocumenting Real Change with Elisha
I am nervous. I am about to meet Elisha, a 33-year old mother of four and a participant in Saint John’s Program for Real Change. I have been asked to document her life story. Perhaps she is as nervous to share her history as I am to chronicle it. Founded in 1985, the Sacramento-based Saint…
Read Moredemonstrating tenacity with Grace J.
“Saint John’s taught me how to peel back the layers so I can heal – that’s just what I needed.” A meth addict for 10 years, Grace found herself homeless and lost her children to CPS. After her first stint at Saint John’s several years ago, Grace was clean and sober, earned her GED, was…
Read MoreSAINT JOHN’S 10th ANNUAL TEA FOR REAL CHANGE SET FOR MAY 18
Event to Honor 2016 Mothers of the Year, Sacramento River Cats CEO Susan Savage and Saint John’s Alumna Alicia Portillo Sacramento, CA, May 6, 2016 – Saint John’s Program for Real Change, Sacramento’s largest shelter and the only one focused exclusively on women and children, will hold its 10th Annual Tea for Real Change on…
Read MoreI wanted to do something that was socially rewarding – Chef Scott
From 23 years as a sous chef at five star restaurants and country clubs to feeding over 100 homeless women and children a day, Chef Scott rises at 5 am daily and joins a crew of volunteers to feed some of Sacramento’s most vulnerable and marginalized population; the clients of Saint John’s Program for Real…
Read MoreThe Gift of Recovery: My Story
Written by Paul Mitchell April 29, 1987. It was a Wednesday, two days after my 17th birthday. I remember both days. On one I was at school early, trying to find someone who would get me high for my birthday, not wanting to use whatever drugs I had hidden away. On the other I was…
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